Chapter 744 Strategic Railway Plan

Human beings are good at reflection, especially after experiencing "skin pain". The intensifying wave of revolution made the rulers aware of the danger.

Austrian cultural traditions tend to be conservative and suffer little from economic crises. Social conflicts are relatively eased, and they are less affected by revolutionary waves.

Several turmoils broke out in the country with the participation of international forces, the people's revolutionary will is not high, and the sense of crisis of the Vienna government is not too strong.

When Franz was still considering whether to convene an international conference, Napoleon IV had already issued a call to European countries.

There is no way, the revolutionary enthusiasm of the French people is too high. The whole thing is a powder keg, and a little spark can spark a revolution.

According to incomplete statistics, there have been 116 rebellions and riots in France since a gunshot was fired in Lyon, more than the rest of Europe combined.

Not to mention marches and strikes. There have been strikes in almost every French city. As long as God saves face, there will be demonstrations on the streets of Paris.

With a deep understanding of the situation in France, Franz understood Napoleon IV's urgency to hold an international conference.

The Holy Land of the Revolution is really not something to brag about. In recent times, the people of Paris seem to have fallen in love with revolution as a meaningful activity, rioting almost two or three times a week.

Fortunately, the French ruling class was on the same page when it came to suppressing the rebellion, otherwise Versailles would have to change owners again.

Several financial consortia in Paris have successively provided 1.5 billion francs to the French government to suppress the rebellion and stabilize the domestic situation. With the money to buy the army, Napoleon IV barely stabilized the situation.

Judging from the current situation, the three big hooligans are still stabbing each other, and France must be the first to collapse.

Victory was just around the corner, but Franz had to stop. It is true that Austria is suppressing its rival France, but that does not include promoting the French Revolution.

The revolution is full of too many uncertainties. The revolution in France is successful at this time. Who knows if it will spread to all of Europe in the future?

Without any accident, European countries, including Austria, responded to Napoleon IV's call.

After preliminary consultations, it was decided that on April 15, 1882, a conference of the International "Reactionary" Union would be held in Paris.

...

Vienna Palace, economic conference

Minister of Railways Soltron: "In view of the current economic situation in the country, the Ministry of Railways has decided to launch the strategic railway network plan ahead of schedule.

The main lines are: the Arabian Peninsula Railway, the Middle East Railway, the Central America North-South Railway, the Nanyang Railway, and the Austrian-African Railway.

Considering special circumstances, the Arabian Peninsula Railway and the Middle East Railway will be built in sections, and some areas with poor geographical conditions will be temporarily put on hold until the technology is mature before construction.

Our colonies in the Nanyang region are all islands, and the construction of railways will inevitably be carried out according to the terrain of the islands. At present, the key areas are Lanfang Autonomous Province and New Guinea.

In particular, Lanfang Autonomous Province, which has become the economic center of the Nanyang region, does not have a decent railway. This is a joke.

The circum-Austria-Africa railway, due to the limitation of geographical conditions and our current technology, cannot guarantee full penetration.

The Ministry of Railways is negotiating with the French to see if they can merge with their railways in Egypt.

Replace the original 'Libya-Zade-Central Africa' railway line with 'Libya-Egypt-Sudan-Uganda'.

If the plan can be successfully implemented, our next step is to build a bridge over the Suez Canal, connecting Africa and Eurasia.

The current situation in France is very bad. As long as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can cooperate with the pressure, the chances of success are very high. "

The Ministry of Railways' strategic rail network plan basically covers Austria's overseas colonies except for Alaska and Patagonia.

Theoretically, after the completion of these main railway lines, the control of the Vienna government over the overseas colonies will be taken to a new level.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "Sir Soltren, your plans are all very good, but the last Circum-Africa railway is a bit unreliable.

France is not a small country. Even if their current situation is not good, we can exert diplomatic pressure to force the Paris government to make concessions, and there will be troubles in the future. "

Soltron wondered: "Why? The railway runs through Africa and the Eurasian continent, which can effectively promote the economic development of Egypt, and the French are also beneficiaries."

"It's not just a matter of economic interests, it's also about strategic security," Weisenberg explained patiently.

According to the plan of the Ministry of Railways, Egypt will become a transportation hub between the Middle East and Austrian Africa, and it will also be caught in our encirclement network.

Once Fao-Austrian relations deteriorated, or war broke out, our troops could enter Egypt by rail.

Under the multi-line siege, the French had absolutely no chance of holding Egypt. If you lose Egypt, you lose the Suez Canal.

Losing control of the Suez Canal, the French lost more than half of their overseas trade and could basically declare defeat.

Even if the French government chooses to compromise due to the current crisis, the French will destroy it for the sake of national strategic security. "

In a sense, Egypt is the lifeline of France. In the original time and space, the French mixed with the British, why was it not because they were stuck in their necks?

It's almost the same now, if a Fao turns his face,

The French must defend Egypt.

Otherwise, the Suez Canal would be lost, and the Cape of Good Hope would be blocked, and their sea lifeline would have been cut in half.

Prime Minister Felix added: "It's not just the Circum-Africa railway that is in trouble, the Nanyang Railway is also in trouble.

Lanfang Autonomous Province is a special existence. The central government has never controlled them, and naturally there is not much binding force.

If it weren't for the fact that they pay taxes every year, I'd almost forget that there is such an autonomous province.

In 1881, the Lanfang Autonomous Provincial Government paid 3.764 million Aegis in taxes and fees to the central government. All we need to do is to provide them with security protection.

This is a stable source of money, and when formulating policies involving Lanfang Autonomous Province, in principle the government opposes any policies that may intensify conflicts.

To build a railway in Lanfang Autonomous Province, the Ministry of Railways must obtain the approval of the autonomous provincial government. It's hard, they're very conservative about building railroads. "

There is no way, the Lanfang Autonomous Province has behaved too peacefully and has almost no sense of political existence.

The ones who deal with them the most are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Taxation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for dealing with international conflicts, and the Ministry of Taxation is responsible for collecting taxes, and then there is no more.

No one does not like a stable source of income that can be obtained without paying much cost.

The Vienna government is unwilling to break the current harmonious situation. As long as the tax can be paid on time, without causing trouble or causing trouble to the government, other issues are not a problem.

Soltron nodded thoughtfully. As a technocrat, he just didn't know much about these issues, which didn't mean he was a political novice.

If the plan cannot be implemented, it will be revised. Any major government plan will be introduced after several revisions and weighing the interests of all parties.